Bad Money
Bad Money is the third episode in Season 2 of the HBO series Silicon Valley, and the eleventh episode overall. it originally aired on April 26, 2015. Synopsis While considering Gavin’s proposal, Richard is approached by Russ Hanneman, an image-conscious billionaire who wants to back Pied Piper, but may not be as “hands-off” as he claims. Gilfoyle and Dinesh play hardball to get what they want; Gavin finds a new strategy in dealing with the enemy. Synopsis Though his colleagues disapprove, Richard Hendricks reluctantly agrees to take Monica's advice and let Hooli acquire Pied Piper. On the way to meeting with Gavin Belson, he is stopped by Russ Hanneman, a flashy billionaire who made his money by putting radio on the internet. Hanneman takes Richard to an expensive restaurant and offers him $5 million for Pied Piper. Monica tells Richard that Hooli is by far the safer option and that Hanneman is a terrible person, but Richard ignores her. Monica informs Bream of his decision, and Bream expresses disgust at the idea of being associated with Hanneman. With the knowledge that they are funded, Pied Piper begins creating a budget for the next 18 months, and negotiating how many new people they will hire. During the budget meeting, Hanneman visits Pied Piper and disrupts it by talking loudly on the phone and hanging out with his friend Cory. Erlich tries to befriend Hanneman but fails. Hanneman tells Pied Piper that revenue is a bad thing, explains that the check he gave them is just a "show check", and buys several Pied Piper billboards without asking. Meanwhile, Belson compares the treatment of billionaires to the suffering of Jews in the Holocaust during an interview, manages the backlash, and gets his lawyers to figure out how to improve his case for suing Pied Piper. Memorable Quotes * Monica: The guy is a joke. He's a boorish, pompous, womanizing douchebag who got lucky, like, 20 years ago. And hasn't done anything since then. Gilfoyle: Sounds like Erlich. * Russ: at Jared This guy fucks. Erlich: You know, Russ, I've been known to fuck myself. * Russ: to Jared I'm just gonna say it. This guy fucks. Am I right? 'Cause I'm looking at the rest of you guys, and this is the guy in the house doing all the fucking. Am I right? You know I'm right. This guy fucks. * Russ: to Dinesh Hey, what's up, Al-Qaeda? No, I'm totally kidding. I'm diffusing the tension with humor. Dinesh: What tension? There's tension? Russ: No, of course not. Seriously, though, no beheadings, all right? * Russ: to Gilfoyle I want to know what kind of fucked up childhood this guy had. * Russ: Synergy, bitches. Know what that means? Gilfoyle: Does it mean taking a stack of cash and lighting it on fire? * Gavin: I'm getting a little tired of this bias against the leaders of our industry. I'm continually creating jobs and helping people, and I'm tired of getting slapped for it. I didn't steal the money I have, and I resent being treated like I did. You know, there is a climate in this country that is very dangerous. Kara Swisher: It's dangerous out there for billionaires? Gavin: There's that attitude again, Kara. Billionaires are people, too. We are leaders in technology, in industry, in finance. Look at history. Do you know who else vilified a tiny minority of financiers and progressive thinkers called the Jews? Walter Mossberg: Wait a minute. Did you just compare the treatment of billionaires in America today to the plight of the Jews in Nazi Germany? Gavin: Absolutely. One could argue that billionaires are actually treated worse. groans And we didn't even do anything wrong. groans We're an even smaller minority. groans There's a lot more of them. groans These are facts. * Russ: It's not about how much you earn. It's about what you're worth. And who's worth the most? Companies that lose money. Pintrest, Snapchat, no revenue. Amazon has lost money for every fucking quarter for the last 20 fucking years and that Jeff Bezos is the king. * Gavin: Everyone on Twitter is saying I'm an anti-Semite! You were there! Spiritual Advisor: I was, and what I saw was an anti-anti-Semite. * Jared: But Hooli was like an abusive spouse to me. You know, like that guy who married Julia Roberts in "Sleeping With The Enemy"? It was dehumanizing. But then, you, Richard, you pulled me out of the life and you gave me hope and you gave me a sense of self-worth. Like Richard Gere did to Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman." Dinesh: This is weird. Jared: Every day here has been like that shopping-spree scene. I'm putting on hats. * Richard: This is a good buy-out. It's way better than what Gavin offered before. And our packages include nice salaries, cash earn-outs, stock in Hooli, which vests after only four years of working there. I mean, this seems like a pretty good deal, right? Dinesh: Hooli? You really think we'd go work for Hooli? What the fuck is wrong with you, Richard? Richard: What other options do we have? We need serious funding to go up against Nucleus, and we don't have that. So, listen... Gilfoyle: ...I will listen to the sound of you chortling on my balls. Erlich: Richard, I'm an independent businessman. Emphasis on "independent". And "business". And "man", come to think of it. Count me out. Jared: Actually, you're not being offered employment at Hooli. They give you a full buy-out. Erlich: interested How big? * Erlich: Gentlemen, what's the update on the apps? Or the "app-date," if you will? Gilfoyle: I will not. Dinesh: Here's my app-date I was excited to work on it, and then I looked at it with fresh eyes. Um, Wajeed was right. It's really shitty. I don't know what the fuck I was thinking. Erlich: But I bought your pitch. Dinesh: Yeah, you fucked up, too. Notes * Jian Yang (Jimmy O. Yang) does not appear in this episode. * When Dinesh searches for Russ Hanneman on Google, the autofill suggestions are "Russ Hanneman douchebag", "Russ Hanneman sexual harassment lawsuit", "Russ Hanneman billionaire" and "Russ Hanneman misogynist." Image Gallery Videos References Category:Episodes Category:Season 2 Category:Season 2 Episodes